The present disclosure pertains to a vehicle that can be flown as a fixed wing aircraft and driven as a land vehicle; more specifically, the present disclosure is directed to a channel wing architecture therefor.
Flying has always been a dream central to the history of humanity. An aerocar or roadable aircraft is defined as a vehicle that may be driven on roads as well as takeoff, fly, and land as an aircraft. Vehicles that demonstrate such capability provide operators with freedom, comfort, and the ability to arrive quickly to a destination as mobility becomes three-dimensional yet remains private and personal. Such vehicles, however, may require various trade offs to facilities operations in the flight mode and the roadable mode.
Typically, a body of a land vehicle is relatively short to facilitate parking and road maneuverability, whereas a body of an aircraft is relatively long to facilitate flight stability and control authority. In one conventional roadable aircraft, each wing folds upward at a root and downward at a mid-span location to stow against the fuselage in the land mode. Although effective, the more numerous the fold locations, the greater the weight and complexity that necessarily influences operability in each mode. Further, such wing stowage may limit operator aft and side views conducive to effective operations in the road mode.